"We are disappointed by the decision," said Jerry Schmetterer, director of public information for the DA's office, which had been seeking Mondrowitz's extradition. "We are working with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Israel Ministry of Justice to see what remedies are available."

A PR expert on the Goldstone report, Haiti and what Israel should learn about controlling its message.

01/28/2010

David Sable

Special To The Jewish Week

In October of 1982, seven people in Chicago died under what at first seemed mysterious circumstances but quickly became linked to cyanide-laced Tylenol that had been placed on drugstore shelves. At the time Tylenol had a whopping 37 percent share of the painkiller market.

I mention it now, in the context of public relations for Israel, because the Tylenol Crisis, as it is called in the industry, is universally considered a benchmark case to study in terms of response to the kind of negative public relations that could have forced the company to fold.

Israel’s reported refusal to conduct an independent, thorough probe of its military’s handling of last winter’s 22-day war against Hamas in Gaza as demanded by the United Nations is a “missed opportunity,” according to Moshe Halbertal, co-author of the Israeli military’s code of ethics.

Modern Orthodox here flocking to Israeli singles show, now in second season. Can you believe what Nati did?

01/21/2010

Rivka Oppenheim

Special To The Jewish Week

They’re discussing it on the Upper West Side. They’re watching it in Washington Heights. They’re dissecting it on Facebook and on their blogs.
And it’s a television show that hasn’t yet aired in America.
“It” is “Srugim,” the Israeli show that’s a hit in its home country. Critics there also love the show, which was named Best Drama by the Israeli Film and Television Academy last year.

New evidence suggests alleged child molester was counseling teen in Israel
in 2006; child porn seen on his computer.

01/21/2010

Hella Winston

Staff Writer

Special To The Jewish Week
With alleged Brooklyn child molester Avrohom Mondrowitz under house arrest until Jan. 24 following last week’s decision by the Israeli Supreme Court to deny his extradition to the U.S., new evidence has emerged that appears to indicate that Mondrowitz was treating adolescent boys in Israel as recently as 2006.

‘Terrible foot dragging’ on part of government leading
to anger four years after Gaza pullout.

01/15/2010

Ben Harris

JTA

Nitzan, Israel — More than four years after her family was ejected from their home in the Gaza Strip, Karen Sarfaty lives with her husband and four of their children in a small pre-fab house in this small town located about midway between the southern Israeli cities of Ashkelon and Ashdod.

In his first post-Birthright trip, ‘Momo’ Lifshitz shells out $250,000 to get across his ‘raise your children Jewish’ message. Is it selling?

01/06/2010

Sharon Udasin

Staff Writer

Tel Aviv — Tucked into the rocky thickets of Mount Carmel in northern Israel, 43 American 20-somethings gathered in a hotel conference room to play a simple game — using their bodies as place markers, they lined up across the room according to how important they found dating Jews, and Jews alone.

At first, only four people stood on the “date Jews” side of the room. But when the question changed to marriage, four soon grew to 15. And when marriage changed to raising children Jewish, a good 15 more shuffled over.

On the eve of a season focused on aspiring to spiritual heights, Congregation Shearith Israel on West 70th Street is celebrating a more physical ascension. The historic congregation, founded in 1654 by Sephardic Jews and commonly known as the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, was granted permission on Aug. 26 from the city’s Board of Standard and Appeals to build a controversial nine-story community house adjacent to its landmarked synagogue.